The History of Hikaro
by artworxchan
Summary: The story of my DBS/LOK OC, Hikaro Ruko. Hikaro grew up in universe 6 and was raised as a Saiyan. However, as he gets older, he starts noticing how different he and his father are from everyone else. His parents won't give him answers, so he goes out into the world to find those answers himself. Rated M for PTSD, sexual themes & violence.
1. Distant Memories

Author's Note: Hello guys! Here's chapter one of my newest fan fiction. I didn't really make an outline for this story, I'm just kind of going with the flow. XD Please enjoy! _ ~ Dana

I remember having good memories as a kid. My mother, Maize, and my father, Zokan, loved me very much. They took care of me and taught me to defend myself when I was very little. I remember learning how to fight at the age of five. My mother taught me how to use ki and my father taught me how to earth bend and metal bend. I picked up metal bending fairly quickly growing up. Though there were some things I didn't understand. I couldn't understand why I was born without a tail, and that my father wasn't either. They told me I was a Saiyan and that not having a tail isn't anything to be ashamed of. All the other kids had tails, but I didn't. I got picked on by those kids because of that. But I'd always beat them up and they'd stop for awhile. I got over it by the time I was ten.

I remember being able to fly when I was eleven. My parents had been teaching me to fly ever since I was seven, but I just couldn't pick it up right away. Once again, the other kids picked on me - but as you'd probably expect, I gave them a good beating.

Another thing I didn't understand was that me and my father were the only ones that knew how to earth bend and metal bend. The other kids used telekinesis to move the elements, but it wasn't the same. I just had this... connection to earth and metal. I could just feel it. The other kids thought my earth bending and metal bending was useless compared to ki techniques and moves. I proved them wrong by beating the strongest bully with just my bending.

I don't remember having any friends growing up as a teenager. My family and I moved to a different part of the district because those kids would bother me even more than before. I didn't go to fighting school as a teen. I was homeschooled and my father taught me other things like how to create metal from earth and how to craft metal armor. I wasn't the best at crafting armor, I actually sucked at it to be honest.

But my father was persistent. I eventually became good at it thanks to my father's encouragement. Well, the armor I made looked good, but it wasn't as good as my father's armor crafts. I guess not all things get passed down. That's another thing. My father and I were the only ones who wore armor that could be manipulated by bending. The traditional Saiyan armor and clothing wasn't meant to altered or used as a weapon in battle.

And then, when I finally turned eighteen, my father gave me a gift. He gave me an armor that I still wear to this day. The armor he gave me was made of special metal made from the rock found deep at the center of the planet. My mother gifted me a fighting outfit that I fell in love with. It's the one I wear today.

What I didn't except, was that my parents had expected me to live on my own now. I was shocked. I didn't want to leave my parents. They were all I had. I had no friends or anything. I had nothing. Nothing but my armor and the clothes on my back that they gave me. I asked them if I could stay home for at least another month. To spend some time with them a little longer. They agreed.

Things weren't the same during that month. At dinner, they gave each other mean glares and were silent. One night I asked them what was wrong, and my mother told me not to worry. That they have been just arguing a bit recently. I asked her and him what they have been arguing about, and my father quickly said that it's parent talk and that I don't need to know. I told him that I was an adult now and that I had the right to know. My father got angry and yelled, "If you think you're an adult, then how come you couldn't move out!? We raised you as a Saiyan warrior! You should be able to tend for yourself!" I felt hurt by what he said, but then I said to him, "But you didn't raise me as a Saiyan warrior. Not like the other kids. I am different from everyone else. I know I'm a Saiyan, but I don't feel like a Saiyan. Mom raised me more like a Saiyan than you did! Is there something wrong with me?" They both didn't say anything for a few moments. My mother said in a sweet voice, "Sweety, why don't you just go to bed? It's getting late." I didn't know what else to say, so I just did what she told me and went to bed.

I couldn't sleep at all that night. I was laying in bed thinking and thinking about who I was, or what I was. I decided that I guess it really was time to leave my parents. I got up that night around 3 AM and wrote a note. It said, "To my loving parents, I now know that it really is time to leave. Because if you two won't give me answers about me, then I'll have to find those answers myself. I love you both very much. Love, Hikaro." I left that note at the kitchen counter as soon as I was finished writing it.

I packed my backpack with my clothes, bed sheets and blankets, and wore the armor and clothes that my parents gave me. I left home through my bedroom window and just started flying into the night sky. I didn't know where to go, I just started flying. I passed by the homes of everyone I knew, including those mean kids. Of course some of them had already left home by then, but still, I felt pain. I felt lost. Alone.

But at the same time, I saw new places, places I haven't seen due to staying in my home all my life. I was kind of excited. I looked back at my now previous home and saw how small it was from up in the sky. That made me realize something. Home is just a small part of my life. There's so much more to life than just this.

I was beginning a new chapter of my life. I looked forward, the moon shining brightly in the cool night sky. I smiled and said to myself, "It's time to find a new home, make some friends, and enjoy this new life." I felt a high energy and happiness that I've never felt before. I laughed and zoomed through the sky at a high speed. I didn't know where I was going, but I was going, and that's all that matters.


	2. The Start of a New Life

The start of my life alone was a bit rough. Okay, it was really rough. I flew down to an industrial city, looking for a hotel to sleep in for the night. There wasn't too many people out at night since it was 3:30 I'm the morning. I walked into the hotel and towards the front desk. A Saiyan young lady was sitting at the front desk typing on a computer. She gave me a smile and said, "Welcome to hotel #447, how long do you plan on staying?" I said to her, "Just one night." She said calmly, "Ok, that will be 150 zeni, please. Will you be paying by card or cash?" I stuttered, "Uh, I d-don't have any money…" She frowned and said "Well, sir, I can't let you have a room unless you pay. I'm sorry sir, but I can't." I stuttered "Then w-where am I supposed to sleep?" She sighed and said feeling sorry for me, "You might be able to get a room at the bar across the street, it won't exactly be a bedroom, but they let homeless people stay there sometimes." I said feeling confused, "Homeless? Well, I guess that's my only option."

I then walked out of the hotel, and a woman holding a glass bottle came up to me and said "Hey there, sweetie. I can get you a room." I said happily, "You can? Thank you so much!" She said quickly, "But for a price, honey. Nothing in life is free." I said looking down, "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't have any money." She laughed and said with a seductive voice, "Oh darling, it's not money that I want! You know what I want." She put her right arm around me and was coming to give me a kiss. I was startled and pushed her away. "No, I don't want that!" She looked appalled. She yelled at me, "If you don't want my help, then good luck finding some place to sleep!" She walked away in a huff. People who saw that were laughing at me and the woman.

I quickly hurried across the street but something I've never seen before was speeding on the road towards me. I stopped for a moment and then it clicked that I needed to move. I jumped out of the way and the big metal thing with a person in it couldn't stop in time and crashed into a lamp post. The man came out of the metal thing and yelled at me, "Why the hell were you walking in the middle of the road!? And you made me crash my car! You're gonna have to pay for this you stupid kid!" I didn't know what to say but then said with sweat droplets down my face "Uh, oh! I know! I can fix it! Here let me help!" I walked towards the car and the man said "How could you possibly fix a dent that bad!? Are you messing around with-" I moved my arms and hands to metal bend the car back to its original state.

The man looked at his car and then looked at me and said with a perplexed face, "How did you do that?" I said happily, "It's metal bending. My dad taught it to me. Can you check to see if your car works now?" The man didn't say anything and got into his car. He turned the engine on and the car was functioning normally. He then sped off into the night. I stood there a little irritated that he didn't even say thank you. I decided to go to the bar to find a place to sleep.

I walked in the bar and there were many men drinking and talking with each other. I then walked to the counter and approached the bartender. The bartender was cleaning a glass and said with a smooth voice, "What can I get for you, young man?" I then replied, "I'm actually not buying anything, I need a place to sleep. I don't have any money." The bartender then said with a look of distaste, "Oh. Well, all of our "rooms" are full tonight, so you can't stay. Sorry, sir. Please leave." I stuttered and said, 'B-but, I won't have anywhere to sleep tonight! Where will I sleep?"

The bartender then asked with a curious voice, setting down the glass. "Are you homeless, young man?" That word again. I asked, "What is homeless?" The bartender then stated, "A homeless person is someone who doesn't have a home. And if they can't stay with someone or pay for a room, they sleep on the streets. So, young man. I'm assuming you are homeless if you don't have any money for a room or home." The men around were laughing at me and one said, "You don't have a home, pretty boy? Ha ha! Have you ever thought of working to make money? Or are you really that stupid." All the men in the bar were cackling and laughing at me. I felt so hurt. I started crying and covered my face. The man said "Awww, you crying now, you big baby?" He pointed to me and said, "Look at this big baby haha!" My hurt turned to anger, and I did something that I regret doing. I turned to the man and smacked him hard in the face. He fell off his chair and everyone gasped and went silent. I gritted my teeth and then realized what would happen next.

The man looked shocked at how hard I hit him. He spat out a loose tooth and blood. He stood up and yelled, "Men, get out of the way! This is MY fight!" Without warning he ran towards me and went for a snack to the face. I quickly side stepped and he fell on the ground due to the velocity of his movement. I backed away and said frantically "I'm really sorry for hitting you! Please forgive me!" He got up and laughed a little. "Heh, sorry isn't gonna cut it, kid. The only way you'll learn is by getting a beating! HAAAAH! He powered up and the whole bar began to shake. Glass bottles fell to the floor and broke. Tables and chairs were moving and colliding with each other. I knew that this guy was not willing to talk. He powered up a ki beam so hot the whole room was burning up. He fired it and I prepared myself. I then reflected the ki beam towards him but at a much faster speed then what he fired it. He didn't except this and got blown away by the beam and crashed into the wall. The whole wall broke apart and there was dust everywhere. I took this as an opportunity to escape. I ran out of the bar as fast as I could.

When I was far away enough from the bar, I slowed down a bit and went into an alley to hide. I was panting, not from the fight, but from the anxiety in my chest from the whole situation. I lowered my ki so that they wouldn't find me. I heard them looking for me, but I was too anxious to go any further. So, I stayed in the alley and took out my blankets to sleep there. There were two other homeless men laying there without any blankets. One of them looked at me and said, "Hey, gimme your blankets." I said sharply, "No! These are mine!" He said again, "Gimme your blankets." I said again, this time more irritated than before, "I said no!"

Both of the men looked at each other and then got up coming towards me. I braced myself for the worst, but then one of them said "If you don't give us your blankets, we'll eat you alive." I didn't know what to say. I stuttered, "W-what!? What do you mean-" The next thing I knew, one of them smacked me so hard in the face that I was almost knocked out. I fell to the ground and I saw that they took my blankets and bag. The only thing they didn't take from me was the clothes, shoes, and armor I was wearing. I reached my hand out towards them, but was overcome by the hard hit and was knocked out.

That is what the first day of being on my own was like. I have to say, it could have been worse. I could've ended up dead. But still, it sucked. I learned the hard way how cruel the world could be. The world is nasty. It makes me realize just how good I had it. I'd rather be picked on by those stupid kids for the rest of my life than have to face real people. Scary people. Evil people. This was the world. Well, it was for one night. I thank kami for what happened next morning.


	3. A Stranger's Offer

I woke up the next morning, realizing I was not at home, but in an alley. Thank Kami no one killed me in my sleep. I could sense another being nearby, I immediately sat up and shouted, "Show yourself! I know you're there around the corner!" A middle aged man walked over to me, with arms folded behind his back. He was wearing a fighter instructors uniform. He said to me, "Good morning, young man. I've been watching you ever since I saw you came into the city. You look like a promising fighter. But, there's something about you that is different." He got closer to me and I stood up and got in a fighting stance. "If you want money, I don't have any. All I have are the clothes on my back." The man raised a finger and lightly touched my right shoulder armor. "And, this armor of yours. I've never seen any Saiyan use armor like this." I flicked his finger away and barked "Don't touch my armor! If you want it, you can't have it!" The man laughed and said calmly, "Relax, I'm not going to take your armor. I know that with a design like this, metal thinly stacked on top of each other, this is a weapon - isn't it?" I felt a little uncomfortable at that, and then I crossed my arms. "Yeah, and so what? What are you getting at?"

The man let his arms fall to his sides and said, "I am a martial arts instructor. I'm an instructor for the local university. I want to offer you a job." I was surprised at what he said and questioned, " A...job? Why would you give me a job?" The man began to walk back and forth, head lowered and said slowly, "When I saw you "metal bend" that car back into shape, I just knew that you were special. In all my years of being a martial arts instructor, never have I seen such a thing as metal bending from a Saiyan. I've never even seen metal bending at all. Then again, you don't completely have the energy of a Saiyan. You have something else in you, almost like a human energy - but a special human energy." I was completely confused and put my hands up a little saying "Wait, hold it. You're saying that I'm not completely Saiyan? And what's a human?" The man sighed, and stopped his pacing. He said with a small smile, "How about we talk about this over some breakfast? I bet that stomach of yours is growling about now." He was right, my stomach was needing food, and as far as I can tell, this guy isn't necessarily a threat. "Sure, but where are we going to eat?" I don't know this city at all. The man exclaimed, "But I do. Follow me, I'll take you to someplace good."

We arrived at a small breakfast restaurant named "The Big Egg" kind of a ironic name for a restaurant that is so small. It wasn't until I got my food that I realized why it was called that. We sat down at a booth in a private closed off dining area of the restaurant. The waitress gave us our menus and asked us what we wanted to drink. I didn't know there were other drinks besides water, so I just chose a fruity drink. The man asked for a tall glass of water with lemon. The waitress walked away and gave us time to decide what to order. I was amazed at how delicious the food pictures looked. But then I realized that I had no money. I said feeling down, "I don't have any money, so how can I pay?" The man flipped a page of the menu and said plainly, "I'll pay for you." I looked surprised, but said thank you anyways.

Then, I got down to the serious questions, "So, earlier you said that I have some special human energy. Does that mean one of my parents isn't fully Saiyan?" The man looked at me plainly in the eye and said, "That is a possibility. Or maybe one of your ancestors was a human and married a Saiyan and had a child. Though, with the level of this special human energy you have, I must say it feels as if though one of your parents must have been fully human." I took a moment to let that sink in. I then said questioningly, "Is that why my father was the way he was? He taught me earthbending and metal bending. My mother didn't know how to earth bend or metal bend. So...father wasn't Saiyan?" Just as the man was about to respond, the waitress came back with our drinks and asked us what we wanted to eat. I realized that I didn't even pick yet, so I just picked the first one I saw. "Um. a bacon, egg, cheese breakfast sandwich please." The waitress wrote it down and asked the man what he wanted, "Just the usual." The waitress wrote that down and walked off to tell the chef of our order.

The man sipped his water and said, "I get the feeling that your parents didn't tell you about this. I really wonder why." I asked feeling anxious, "You mean they didn't tell me that I'm part human? And what is a human anyway? I look like a Saiyan, so I must be Saiyan!" The man looked at me for a moment, then stated, "You look partially Saiyan. All Saiyans have black hair, black eyes, and a tail. You have black hair, but you also have silver eyes and you don't have a tail. Tell me, what did your parents look like?" I sipped some of my fruity drink, amazed at the flavors and sweet smell. I then thought for a moment, trying to visualize my parents. "My mom had long black hair with bangs, black eyes, tan skin, a bit short and a tail. My father was tall, had black medium length hair, silver eyes and no tail."

The waitress came with our food and set it down on the table. I was almost drooling because of the wonderful smell of the meal. The man took a fork and knife and ate a bite of his eggs. After that he washed it down with his lemon water. "It seems as though your father was the human with special energy, and that your mother was the Saiyan. I have never sensed human energy like this before. I get the feeling that either your father was born with special abilities on Earth, or his genes were genetically altered to allow him to bend earth and metal. Though, the humans on Earth are nowhere near of achieving science like that. Quite a head-scratcher, isn't it? There is only one other possibility, though I highly doubt it is true." The whole time he was talking I was scarfing down my food. By the time he was done, I was finished with my meal. I washed down my drink until it was gone and looked at him, "So, what's the other possibility?"

The man leaned forward a little and whispered, "Your father may not be from this dimension." I raised a quizzical eyebrow and said confused, "What, what!? Not of this dimension? What do you mean?" The man sighed and asked, "Was your father an engineer? Or perhaps a scientist?" Hikaro nodded and confirmed, "Yeah, he was a scientist, engineer, and blacksmith. What's your point?" The man's eyes brightened and he exclaimed, "Then that must be it! Your father must have built a ship that could cross dimensions, and he ended up here. The question is, why would he hide it?" I was trying to let everything sink in, it was definitely an information overload for me. I said slowly, still trying to figure it out, "I don't really know. But, there's no way that all this is true. My parents would never lie to me!" The man sighed again and said grimly, "Unless, they were trying to protect you from something. From harm." I ran my fingers through my hair, all frazzled from the conversation. "I...I…"

The man frowned and said comfortingly, "I think we should discuss this later. I still want to offer you that job." I looked at him and said, "Oh, yeah. What job is it going to be?"

The man said with a smile, "I want you to teach my students earthbending and metalbending." It will be wonderful! You'll get to spread this fighting style that your father taught you for everyone else to use." I didn't know what to say. I thought for a moment and then said, "I don't know. I've never taught anyone how to earthbend and metalbend. Would it even be possible if they don't have the special genetics?" The man smiled and exclaimed, "I'm not sure myself, but we won't know unless you try. So, do you want the job? Considering how special and unique your abilities are, I would pay you handsomely."

I asked, "How much would you pay?" The man said plainly, "100,000 zeni a month. More or less." My mouth dropped. "100,000 zeni!? A MONTH!? I'll take the job!" The man smiled cheerfully and confirmed, "Then you got yourself a job." The waitress came back, and the man payed. Hikaro just realized something. "I've been talking to you this whole time, and I don't even know your name. What's your name?" The man stood up from the booth and exclaimed, "The name is Komatsu. And you?" I stood up as well. "Hikaro Ruko." Komatsu said, "Interesting. Your name isn't Saiyan at all. That confirms my suspicions about your family history. Well, let me take you to where you work." I exclaimed back, "Well your name doesn't sound Saiyan either." Komastsu smiled and said, "That's because I'm not Saiyan. I may have Saiyan energy, but that is just a mask." I raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then what are you?"

Komatsu said mysteriously, "I am an Alterer. But don't tell anyone that! My race likes to keep our existence a secret. We don't want other races to know that we exist. If they did, they would exterminate us." I felt creeped out and mumbled, "Ok, I won't tell anyone. But, what is an Alterer?" Komatsu said plainly, "Alterers are a race that has existed since the beginning of time. We can shape-shift and steal the abilities of other races. That makes us the superior race. The Saiyans and Acrosians would most certainly kill us all if they found out." I was more than surprised at how many alien races there were. But I was tired of talking and wanted to get to work. I needed a good workout or something of the sort.

We both left the restaurant and Komatsu lead me to the martial arts university. I was thinking back to my parents. I wondered if all that Komatsu said was true. Well, doing some work would be good for me. I've never worked a day in my life, so it might be a challenge. But, it was way better than living on the streets and possibly getting killed in my sleep. I wasn't sure if I could completely trust Komatsu. He did say he was an Alterer, so he is naturally good at keeping secrets. Well, I just went along with it, because I was really looking forward to my first paycheck. And it was gonna be a BIG one.


	4. It's My Fault

Komatsu and I arrived at the martial arts university. We entered the building and he took me through the paperwork process in a small office. When I got to the home address information, I looked at him and asked, "What do I put as the home address? I don't have a home." Komatsu was flipping through a cabinet as he answered, "You'll be living with me in my home until you have enough money to live by yourself. Though with how much I'm paying you, you should have enough once you get your first paycheck." Komatsu helped fill me in the rest of the paperwork, and he got it turned it to the correct department.

It was finally time for work. He took me to a gym, where we found some Saiyan students sparring. Komatsu and I approached the group of Saiyans and he announced to them, "You four! Stop your sparring with each other. Here is our newest martial arts instructor, Hikaro Ruko. Please show respect to him." The four students bowed and I said in a relaxed tone, "Hello, I'm a new instructor, and I'll be teaching you how to earth bend and metal bend." Komatsu turned to me and instructed, "Before you can teach anyone, I need to see how you fight with your abilities. Pick a student to fight."

There were two female students and two male students. The first male was about the size of and appearance of Goku, only a bit slimmer. The second male was about Vegeta's height and build, and had crazy spiky hair that was rather messy. Then the first girl had long hair tied into a ponytail that reached her ankles. She had side swept bangs and was toned. The second girl had curly pigtails and big square glasses, she was more toned than the other girl and had some fairly sized muscles. I made my decision. "I pick her." I pointed to the girl with long hair. Komatsu nodded his head and said, "Sophia! Alright then. Everyone, give them some space."

Me and this Sophia girl got into our fighting stances. She stayed low and began moving around me, looking for an opening. I looked her in the eyes, kept my head lowered and fists up at eye level. This was the first time I'd fight a woman that wasn't my mother. I could see the fire in Sophia's eyes. She was the first to attack. She circled around me so quickly, pushing me off my balance and elbowed me in the back of the neck. I ended up almost falling over but staggered and sort of regained my balance. She quickly grabbed me from behind and literally flipped me over, smacking me to the stone tile. And then it hit me. This gym has earth and metal. I could definitely win this fight if I used my surroundings to my advantage.

I slid in a 360 low kick to Sophia's ankles and she slipped to the ground. She was surprised by the low hit but as soon as she was about to the hit the ground I earthbended a sharp long chunk of earth to hit her back and send her flying to the air. The I teleported above her and fired a green ki beam at her straight on. The green ki beam pushed her all the way to the other side of the gym and she crashed into the wall. The entire wall was broken, she grunted and was going to get up but I then raised the chunks of broken wall into the air and fired them at her. By the time she was getting up I had hit her in all directions with those chunks of wall. She was blown away and slid across the ground. She was bruised pretty badly, teeth gritting and anger in her eyes. She yelled to me, "So this is what you meant by "earthbending"! What else do you have up your sleeve?" I smirked and cracked my knuckles, toying, "Why don't you come and find out?"

Her right eye twitched and then she began to power up. "HAAAAAAH!" The whole gym shook from her power. The lights on the ceiling began to shake and some of them exploded, making the gym go dim. The other students were amazed at her power, but Komatsu simply watched with a concentrated look on his face. I prepared myself for her next vicious attack. She was stomping her way towards me, but then she opened her mouth and a ki ball was forming in her mouth. The huge ki ball was about to blast off towards me, but at the last second I metal bended my armor towards her and wrapped the armor around her head. There was a huge explosion that made the whole gym almost collapse on itself. Komatsu protected him and the other students with a energy shield. I was blown away from the explosion and hit the wall behind me. After the dust and debris died down, Komatsu immediately ran towards Sophia to her aid. He tried feeling if she had any energy left, and she did - but barely. Komatsu yelled to me with an angry voice, "Hikaro! Get over here!" When I realized what I did, I ran over there as fast as I could. I asked frantically, "Is she okay!?" Komatsu barked at me and yelled, "Take this armor off her head. What the hell were you thinking!?" The other students looked concerned for their dying classmate. I immediately metal bended the armor off her head. She looked like an absolute mess, to put it lightly. Her whole head had third degree burns. Komatsu looked at the other students and commanded, "You three! Take her to the emergency room next door! Right now!" They all freaked out but quickly did what they were told. The two male students picked her up and the female student opened the door for them to take her out the room.

I knew that I was in big, BIG trouble. After the room was just the two of us, Komatsu turned to me with suppressed anger on his face. I blurted, "I didn't mean to -" "What were you thinking during that battle, Hikaro!? If her blast was even the littlest bit stronger and you were to do that, you would have killed her! It is a miracle that she is even alive! Did you even think about it before you threw your armor over her head? And you were being way too rough on her! You were supposed to show me your skills, NOT fight like your life depended on it! Kami, what will my superiors think about this!" I didn't know what to say. I just stood there with my head down. I asked quietly, "Am I….fired?" Komatsu snapped at me, "After all that, that's the first thing you think of!? You're only thinking about yourself! I know you have potential, Hikaro. And you would be a great asset to the university...IF you didn't try to kill your students! I need time to think." He walked off in a hurry and slammed the doors behind him. I stood there, feeling terrible for what I did. I didn't even know what to do, but I wanted to be as far away from this place as possible. I ran out of the gym and out the university.

I was back to square one. Homeless. I was panting and felt major anxiety stuck in my chest. I felt fear, fear of being alone again. On the streets. Alone. I fell to my knees and began to sob. What was wrong with me? People around on the sidewalk were looking at me but continued to pass by. I didn't know where to go, but I knew that the city wasn't the place for me. I flew into the sky and fled from the city. Maybe being alone was the best. Because it seems that wherever I go, all I do is cause harm to people. Am I a bad person? I knew that I wouldn't get anywhere in life at this rate. I knew what I had to do.


	5. Hikaro Alone

After fleeing the city, I landed down into a forest. I felt awful, and tired, and depressed. I sat down on a log and slumped. I looked around and saw more logs of wood cut and placed in neatly stacked piles. That made me realize that there were people here in this area of the forest. And people meant trouble. I immediately stood up and ran away from this area of the forest. When I felt I was far enough, I stopped running. I sighed and saw out of the corner of my left eye something moving in a bush. I tensed up and braced myself for the worst. I was relieved to see that it was just a little bear cub. I smiled and walked towards the cub. It was eating the berries on the bush. "Aren't you so cute! I've never seen an animal in person before, especially a little animal like yourself." I picked it up and it began to wail very lightly, like a baby's cry after it just wakes up. "What's wrong? Are you ok?" Suddenly I feel the ki of another animal. I turn around and I see up a hill a big bear, gritting teeth at me with a vicious face. "Uh oh."

The mama bear roared so loud that I ended up dropping the cub. The cub ran over to the side of the mama bear. The mama bear sprinted towards me and was about to pounce on me but I teleported away in time. The bear looked around confused but still angry. I was in the air, feeling worse than I did before. I was NOT about to fight that thing. I wasn't going to kill the mama bear and leave that cub motherless. Suddenly winds picked up and my hair was whipping in the wind. It was also getting dark. I had to find a safe place to sleep.

I wasn't sure where to go next. All I wanted to do was go home. But, I was afraid to. I was afraid of approaching my parents and telling them how awful the first two days of my life alone has been. Hell, it hasn't even been a full two days and I already felt like giving up. I flew and saw the world from above. It was now barely dark, and then I saw something that sparked my attention. I saw a small town that looked rather beat up and old. I saw a fighting ring and from my point of view, saw tiny Saiyan fighters duking it out. I felt that a good fight might help get my mind off of things. After all, fighting is in my blood.

I entered the ring and saw a crowd of people in the audience cheering for the winning fighter. The people in the ring looked mean and nasty. They looked like they hadn't eaten in awhile and were dirty. It looks like these people have had it worse than me. I saw a man counting money bills, and figured he was the owner of the ring. I came up to him and asked, "Excuse me, what do I need to do to get in the ring?" The man looked at me and laughed. Then he said, "A young man like yourself, fighting in the ring? You wouldn't last a sec-" "I want to get in the ring! Let me in the ring!" The man could see that I meant business. He grumbled and decided to let me in.

When it was my turn to fight in the ring, I entered the ring and could see my opponent coming forth. He was a medium height, muscled man, wearing nothing but his underwear and brown slacks. He also had his hair tied back into a small bun. He had chiseled features and furry eyebrows. He as soon as he saw me he began to laugh. I questioned in a tough voice, "What's so funny?" He pointed to me and said all proudful and mockingly, "The Crusher is going to crush a little squirt like you! You are nothing!" I smirked and taunted, "Prove it."

The Crusher was irritated at that and stomped his way towards me, jumping up into the air and firing a dark green ki blast. I dodged the ki blast by side stepping and fired a chunk of earth at him. It hit him at close range and he went flying. He crashed into the ring's back wall. Then he got up and wiped the blood off his face. "So, you like chucking pieces of rock at your opponent? The Crusher will crush your stupid rocks! Take this!" He ki fired a huge ki beam so quickly that I barely was able to turn it back to him like rushing water. He didn't expect this and crashed again into the wall, this time breaking it apart completely.

I didn't waste any time. I teleported to him and was beating him with my fists in a rush of strength. After he was completely staggered, I landed a critical uppercut and roundhouse kick to his face. He was completely knocked out. The bell ringed and the announcer yelled, "Hikaro is the winner!" The crowd went wild and was cheering my name. "Hikaro! Hikaro! Hikaro!" I grinned and waved to the audience. For once, something went right.

I got payed for my fight. 40,000 zeni was pretty good for my first time earning money from a fight. I left the fighting ring and walked through the town. It was pretty late at night. I was the only one out, or so I thought. Suddenly, I felt like someone was following me. I didn't sense any ki, but I just had this gut feeling. I stopped walking for a moment and looked around. It seemed that no one was there, so I decided to keep walking. I came to a corner and when I turned at the corner I was smacked in the face by someone. I fell to the ground and fired earth at the person but then I was hit at my pressure points at both sides of my body by two other attackers. I couldn't bend anymore or use ki and the next thing I knew, someone came down on me and gagged me with something that made me pass out.


	6. Escape

My senses came to me very slowly. I could hear the sound of men talking. I opened my eyes and saw that I was chained to a wall. I tried metal bending the chains but my bending wasn't working. The room I was in was very dim and it was hard to make out the faces of the men. I also saw other males around my age chained to the wall. Some were struggling and others were begging to be set free. A man wearing what appeared to be a nice suit pointed to me and asked a man covering his face with cloth, "May I inspect this one?" The man with his face covered nodded his head.

The man wearing the suit licked his lips and got close to me. Too close. He looked at me from the top down and asked me, "What's your name?" I felt fear and tried to act normal or that I wasn't afraid. "Why should I tell you?" The man said menacingly, pointing to the men in the shadows on the back wall, "Because if you don't, these men here will give you the beating of a lifetime. Or worse - death. So, are you going to cooperate?" The men in the back were staring at me with evil eyes. Dark eyes. I could barely see that they had guns. Then I felt the man run his fingers through my hair. I tensed up, feeling a knot in my gut.

He said in a tone of voice that I've never heard before, "You have beautiful hair, darling. And your eyes are mesmerizing. You are young and radiant. Exactly the type of man I'm looking for." I gulped in fear and felt confusion. I asked afraid, "Looking for what? What are you going to do with me?" The man smirked and said in a dark tone, "Tell me, are you a virgin?" I raised an eyebrow and stuttered, "W-what's a virgin?" He laughed and slapped his hand on his knee. "Haha, you don't know what a virgin is?! You're joking, right?" I slowly shook my head. His face twisted into an evil expression, desire gleaming in his eyes. He said darkly, "Well, you won't be a virgin anymore when I'm done with you. Heheh."

He looked back at the man covering his face. "How much for this one?" "100,000 zeni." The man that "inspected me" grunted and said "I only have 60,000." A man in the shadows came towards the man in the suit and tossed him a bag. The man in the suit asked, "What's this?" The other man replied, "We found that money on him," pointing to me, "40,000 zeni. Now you have enough. Enjoy." The man in the suit grinned widely. "Gag him and take him to my car. I can't wait!" I tried to break from the chains but couldn't. Three men in the shadows came towards me. Two of them held me down and the third came with a mask. "No! Rrgh, don't touch me! Don't - mmmph!" It was no use. The mask was put over me and I felt my senses fading. I was knocked out cold.

I woke to the sound of a car engine. My eyes widened when I remembered what had happened. I was now in the back of a car, tied with metal handcuffs and ankle cuffs. I saw the man in the suit driving me somewhere. There were no windows back here, but then I realized that the whole car was made of metal, as well as my chains. I could sense a faint connection to the metal. I tried metal bending my hand cuffs off, but all I could manage to do was dent them. The man heard that and I immediately pretended that I was asleep. He glanced back at me and shrugged his shoulders. Then he went back to focusing on the road. I stayed lying down but continued to try to metal bend the cuffs off. It was such a struggle, my connection was getting stronger little by little. But at this rate, I wasn't going to get anywhere.

I stopped for a moment to breathe. I closed my eyes and imagined the small particles of earth in the metal. I imagined it as if it were sparking neurons pulsing and colliding with each other. My connection got very strong, enough for me to break the handcuffs off. Suddenly, the car stopped. I could hear the man get out of the car. As soon as he was out and closed his door, I metalbended the ankle cuffs off. He opened the back door and said, "Welcome to your new home, darling." He raised an eyebrow when he saw that I didn't move. He said irritated, "Hey! Why aren't you saying any-agh!" I metal bended my metal arm bands around his eyes and ankles. He fell to the ground. Then I ran out of the car and flew off into the sky.

I could hear him from far away yell, "Hey! HEY! GET BACK HERE! GET BAAAAACK HEEEERE!" I looked back and then turned around. "HAAAAH!" I metal bended the insides of the car and it exploded. He was definitely dead at that point. That was my first time killing someone. I frowned. It was for the best. If I hadn't killed him, kami knows what could have happened. I didn't want to think about it. I just kept flying. And flying. And flying…..


	7. A New Home

It was probably around 4 in the morning. I had been flying for awhile now, and was flying slower than when I first started. I didn't know where I was going. It seems that every time I stop somewhere, I need to leave. I don't even have my money anymore. I had no metal left, and I was completely exhausted. I felt my eyes begin to close, struggling to keep them open. My hearing began to fade, and closed my eyes. I could feel myself falling down to the ground, but was too weak to do anything. The velocity increased and I felt myself fall through trees and branches. It hurt like hell, and when I finally hit rock bottom, I was knocked out.

When I came to, I heard the sound of fire crackling. I opened my eyes and tried to identify my surroundings. I was in a bedroom on a bed, in what seemed like a small cabin. I saw to my right a fireplace, a tall bookshelf, and end table and two armchairs. To my left was a wall and a small window. I could see that it was daytime, and heard birds chirping outside. Someone must have taken me here. I don't remember waking up after passing out. Then, an old man came into the room. I sat up and asked, "Did you take me here? Who are you?" The old man had a long beard that extended to side burns, and long white hair. He was wearing green and yellow clothes, that had simple line designs. It reminded me of my own clothing. The old man had a warm smile on his face and said softly, "Yes, I did take you here. I found you passed out in the dirt outside a couple miles from here. I have to say, it was a bit of a challenge for my old back to carry you all the way over here." I was not expecting such a soft voice from him. He seemed...nice? Not really harmful at all. Then, my stomach growled so loud, I felt embarrassed. The old man laughed lightly and said, "You must be very hungry. How about we talk more over breakfast?" I laughed nervously, and then said with a smile, "Sure."

I sat down at a small table fit for two in the dining area near the kitchen and bathroom. The food looked delicious. It had a balance of everything needed - meat, fruit, vegetables, and carbs. The old man was at the kitchen preparing some sort of drink for us. I began scarfing down my food, but then the old man laughed and said. "Slow down, young man. You look like you haven't properly eaten in awhile, so just enjoy the meal." I stopped chowing down my food and thought for a moment. I did always tend to eat fast. Even back at home, I would always chow down my mother's cooking. My father however, would eat his food slowly. Mom ate fast like me, but not too fast.

Then I saw something that caught my attention. The old man was heating up the drink with fire - that _he_ was creating. I quickly swallowed what I had in my mouth and asked, "You know how to create fire?" The old man then poured the drink into two cups and said, "Yes, I do. I'm a firebender. Though with the kind of people on this planet, firebending doesn't really exist. Or any sort of bending of the elements. I quickly and excitedly said, "I know earthbending and metalbending! My dad taught it to me! I didn't know that there were other types of bending! It's so good to meet someone that can bend the elements like me!" The old man looked surprised himself, then sat down at the table and gave me a cup of the drink he was making. "That is very surprising, young man. You're the first bender I've met. Oh, and that drink is ginseng tea. It's my favorite." He slowly drank his tea, enjoying the refreshing flavors.

I looked down at the tea and then picked it up and drank a little. My eyes widened at the taste. It was so good! "This tea stuff is delicious! I love it!" The old man raised an eyebrow and asked, "Tea stuff? Are you saying that you've never drank tea before? That's like never breathing before! Tea is universal!" I laughed and said sheepishly, "You're talking to a guy that only drank water his whole life! At least until...at least until…" I felt sad and lowered my head. The old man looked concerned and asked, "Until what?" I said quietly, "At least until I left my parents' home. You see, this is my third day living on my own without my parents. I'm barely eighteen; I turned eighteen a little less than a month ago. These past two days have been the hardest days of my life. I never realized how good I had it until I left home." The old man looked like he was in thought for a moment, then he said, "You do look like you've been through a lot. After you're finished eating and drinking your tea, let's sit down and I'll hear you. It's important to take care of your body first." I nodded my head and began to finish up my meal.

We then sat down at in the bedroom on those armchairs. The old man said calmly, "Tell me everything you feel like sharing." I nodded my head and began. "I've learned so much about the world in only two days. My mom and dad taught me how to defend myself and fight. My mom taught me how to fly, use ki, and different fighting techniques and moves. My father taught me metal bending and earth bending. He also taught me how to craft armor and how to make metal from earth."

I then slumped over and looked down at the carpet. I continued, "What they didn't teach me, was how cruel the world could be and how to live on my own. When I first turned eighteen, my father gifted me a special metal armor and my mother gave me this outfit. But that's when they expected me to move out. I didn't want to move out. My parents was all I had. I begged them if I could stay for at least another month. They agreed, but then they started acting strange. Normally they would laugh and give each other kisses and just show love to each other, but all they would do was stay silent and give each other glares. I wasn't sure what the problem was. I remember hearing them argue at night, but I wasn't sure what they were arguing about. I didn't want to eavesdrop on them because they might get mad at me. One night, I asked them what was wrong, and my father lashed out at me. My mother told me to go to bed, and I did because I didn't know what else to do. So, I decided to leave my home that night."

The old man nodded his head and frowned. He said, feeling sorry for me, "I'm sorry that your parents didn't tell you about the world. The world can definitely be a cruel place." I mumbled, "Yeah, tell me about it." "But not all is cruel and evil in the world." I lifted my head and looked at him in the eyes. He continued, "There is good in the world too. All people, including evil people, were born innocent and frail. Good and evil have been fighting for dominance since the beginning of time. But, one cannot exist without the other - much like light cannot exist without dark. You must find the light in the dark, young man. For if you let the darkness consume you, you will most certainly pass away. So find the light, hold on to it, and don't let anything blow it out."

I understood what he meant and said, "Yeah, you're right. Not all is bad in the world. I mean, my parents loved me. They are good. And that's why it was so hard for me to move out. And I left home because my father lashed out at me. He's never done that before. My mom tried to diffuse the situation. There's something else I want to tell you. I don't want to bombard you with everything I've been through these past few days, but there's something I need to know and you might have the answer." The old man nodded his head and said calmly, "I'll do anything I can to help you find the answer you're looking for."

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then I began, "On my second day of being on my own, a man named Komatsu offered me a job. But this man was, strange to say the least. He told me that my earthbending and metalbending was unique and that he's never seen anyone do it before. That's why he offered me a job as a martial arts instructor. But, he said that my energy was strange - that it was like a special human energy. He said that humans are a race from Earth. My parents never told me about humans. Or any other race. All they told me was that the Saiyans were the superior race in all the universe. Komatsu told me that he was an Alterer, a race that could shapeshift and steal the abilities of any other race. He told me not to tell anyone, but I get the feeling that these "Alterers" are an evil race. He also mentioned that if the Saiyans and Acrosians found out about their existence, they would exterminate the Alterers. I'm not sure what the Acrosians are, but they sound evil too. What I'm trying to say is, I get the feeling that my father isn't Saiyan. That he's a human that can earthbend and metalbend. My mother is definitely Saiyan, one-hundred percent. And you must be human, too. My father and you are from Earth, right?"

The old man was touching his beard, and seemed to be thinking about what to say. He then said with a serious tone, "Your father and I are definitely human, but we are from a _different_ Earth, from a different dimension. You see, I have let go of my earthly body and transcended to the spirit world, where I watch over the physical world and live in peace with the spirits. But one day while meditating, I saw a vision. A vision of a great evil coming to the physical world. An evil that even the Avatar - would not be able to defeat. An evil so dark and with the blackest heart. The spirits told me to travel to this universe, and with their help they temporarily gave me back my physical body so that I would find someone that could stop the evil. I believe that _you_ , young man, are the one that will be able to stop that evil."

I was completely blown away by everything he said. "The spirit world? The Avatar? A great evil? What does all this mean?" The old man stood up from his chair and walked over to the bookshelf. He pulled out a book and handed it to me. Then he told me, "Before I came to this world, I knew that the one who would save my universe would need to know everything about my universe. This book contains the history of my world, the spirit world, and everything else you need to know about it. But, I will tell you the most important thing right now." I looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows and asked, "And what is that?"

He had a very serious look on his face and said slowly, "The Avatar is the master of all four elements - water, earth, fire, and air. Only the Avatar can keep the balance of the world. If the Avatar is killed while in the Avatar state, the Avatar cannot reincarnate into the next Avatar, and the cycle will be broken. If that ever were to happen, darkness would completely consume and take over the world. But you, young man. I know that you are the one that can save the Avatar - and save the world. This great evil will also try to destroy all mortals from your world. Actually, it will try to destroy mortals and higher beings from all the universes in this dimension. It will not stop until all mortals are destroyed in every universe and dimension."

I was at a loss for words. I didn't know what to say. All I wanted to do was run away. But I knew that this was one problem that I couldn't run away from. The whole world was at stake. No. _Everything_ that has ever existed was at stake. And, it was up to me to save everything? The old man broke my thoughts. "I think it would be best if we took a break from all this talking. You looked very overwhelmed. Also, we've been talking about all this but haven't even exchanged names. What's your name, young man?" I looked at him in the eyes and said, "My name is Hikaro. Hikaro Ruko. What's yours?"

The old man smiled and said, "Iroh. I'm from the Fire Nation, which you'll learn more about in that book I gave you. But for now, go get some rest. You'll have a lot of training to do starting tomorrow morning." I got up and asked, "Training? You're going to train me?" Iroh nodded his head. "Yes. I'm going to do everything I can to prepare you to fight the great black evil. But remember, I won't stay with you forever. My physical body will fade in a year or so, and I'll return back to the spirit world in my dimension." He smiled at me and placed a warm hand on my shoulder, saying in a encouraging tone, "So let's make the most of our time together, Hikaro. Let's do our best."

For the first time since I left home, I felt hope. And not alone. I felt like I had someone. A place to stay and feel safe. Safe with a loving person.

And that person was Iroh.


	8. Change

Author's Note: Iroh and Hikaro are going to be training for about a year. I'm going to have Hikaro only tell the critical parts of his training with Iroh to save time so that the story can progress at a balanced rate. Also, some of you are asking me when or if Rumiko is going to appear. This is the story about Hikaro, and this story takes place before he meets Rumiko. So he won't appear at all in this story. Also, at this point in time while Hikaro is getting trained by Iroh, it is after the end of Book 3 in Legend of Korra, during the time when Korra is first recovering from getting poisoned by Zaheer. Which means that Kuvira is just beginning to start taking over the earth kingdom. I thought it would be helpful to tell you guys that. For the DBZ universe, it is age 776. I think that's everything I wanted to say. If I have any commentary about the chapter I'll include it at the end! Please enjoy.

The training I did with Iroh lasted for 11 months. I won't tell every detail of it, but I'll tell the important parts that really matter. I'll start with the first day.

Iroh woke me up bright and early before sunrise. We did some meditation exercises and walking in the forest. I asked him while walking with him, "So, when are we gonna get to the fighting?" Iroh had his hands behind his back and answered, "The fighting sessions are going to be last. It is natural for you to want to fight first, considering that you are partly Saiyan. But in order to fight to the best of your ability, you need to have a balanced mind and body. Mind comes first. Tell me, Hikaro. What is on your mind? What have you been thinking about?"

I stopped walking and looked down. I said feeling lost, "I've been thinking about a lot of things. Like wondering how my parents have been since I left home. Wondering what or who the great evil is - and if I'll truly be able to defeat it. And wondering if I'll be able to take care of myself after you go back to the spirit world. What if my parents now hate me because I left home so suddenly? What if I can't defeat this great evil? And what if I can't live on my own after you go back?" Iroh seemed to be in thought for a moment, then saw two critter animals fighting for berries on the bushes. Iroh then said to me. "What if scenarios can create unneeded anxiety and fear in yourself. They produce negative energy within yourself. See these two animals? They are fighting for the berries on this bush. Imagine these two animals as your positive thoughts and negative thoughts. Which one wins the fight?" Iroh then took some berries and fed one of the animals. I then said in realization. "The one you feed!" The animal that Iroh didn't feed ran away into the forest.

Iroh exclaimed, "Yes, you are right. If you feed into your negative thoughts, you will suffer. But if you focus on thinking positively, then you will succeed. How can you think positively about your situation?" I thought for a few moments, then said, "I mustn't create what if scenarios and focus on what I can do to succeed in my mission of saving the world and defeating the great evil. Doing everything I can to bring balance to myself and become stronger. And believe in myself." Iroh smiled and said, "And while it is always best to believe in one's self, a little help from others can be a great blessing. Sometimes the best way to solve your own problem is to help others. It works for both of us. I help you find balance within yourself, so that you can defeat the great evil." I added positively, "And I help you defeat the great evil so that my dimension and everything will be safe - including my parents. They've been protecting me for a long time, and now it's time to protect them."

For two months, I focused on meditating and keeping a balanced mind. I also read the book that he gave me when I first met him. After that, Iroh had me focus on trying to create metal on my own without tools. He knew that my metalbending and earth bending were my strengths, so he had me focus on refining those skills before learning new skills. He also made me create a new armor for myself so that I could use it in battle. I also tried to bend platinum, which according to Iroh, is not possible due to there being little to no impurities in platinum. It was a struggle to do for sure.

We were outside in the forest near our home. Iroh said to me, "I am not sure myself if this is possible, as I have never seen any metalbender do it. But metalbending itself was thought to not be possible until Toph Beifong first invented it. Hikaro, I want you to create metal from this piece of earth. Use the chi, or as how you call it, ki, within you to heat it up and change it's properties." I focused on the piece of earth, and began to heat it up with my ki. I reached out my hand, tightened it into a fist, and crushed the hot earth until it formed into metal. Iroh nodded his head in approval and said, "Good work, Hikaro! And on your first try, too. Now, I want you to turn that piece of platinum over there into impure metal." He pointed to the platinum and I focused on it. I tried searching for the impurities in the platinum. I found some, but it was the size of molecules. I began to sweat from trying to reverse the purifying process, but I couldn't do it on my first try. I sighed and looked at Iroh. He then said "Don't worry, Hikaro. I had thought that this would be harder than turning earth into metal - which is why I had you try that first. Keep trying until you get it."

I tried for hours on end, but I couldn't get it. I tried for almost a whole month, and I wanted to give up. Iroh told me that giving up was not an option. He said that one of the evils that would attack his world would use platinum to her advantage in the fight against Avatar Korra. Then one night, something incredible happened.

It was at night, and me and Iroh were going to sleep for the night. We went to bed, and I looked outside my window and saw the full moon. For some reason, I felt a connection to it. I couldn't really sleep that night and so I decided to go outside and try reversing the platinum one last time. I felt strong for some reason, and was able to reverse the platinum into impure metal. I gasped from excitement and surprise. I immediately ran to tell Iroh. I told him that I felt a strange connection of some sort to the moon. He wasn't exactly sure why I felt this connection, but he wanted me to try something.

He took me to a nearby river outside and told me, "Hikaro, I want you to try to waterbend." I raised an eyebrow and asked, "Waterbend? How can I waterbend? I'm not a waterbender and no one in my family is." Iroh looked up at the full moon, then said to me, "I'm not sure if it will work, but it doesn't hurt to try. Go on, try it." I exhaled sharply and then turned to the river. I reach out my arm towards the river and tried to focus on the water. Iroh was watching intently. I slowly raised my hand, and suddenly the water in the river began to move in sync with the movement of my hand. I gasped and looked at Iroh, "Did you see that!? It worked! I can waterbend!" Iroh smiled and said, "A job well done, Hikaro. I get a feeling that you are able to waterbend during a full moon. I'm not sure why, but now that we know, let's try the other two elements. We will start with fire."

Iroh told me that fire comes from the breath, not the muscle. Being part Saiyan, I was taught that muscle and rage were our source of power and strength. I had to accept Iroh's teachings in order to be able to firebend. I tried firebending while keeping in mind what Iroh said. "Haaaaah!" I punched my fist upwards and white flames emerged into the air. The fire was so hot, but it felt amazing to firebend. "Very good, Hikaro! There is only one more element to try: air. Now, air is the element of freedom. The air nomads detached themselves from their worldly concerns so they could reach enlightenment. Hikaro, what is holding you down to this world?"

I knew exactly what to say, "My parents. I miss them so much. I don't want to fail them. I love them with all my heart." Iroh nodded his head and said, "When you try to airbend, imagine that you are letting them go. Release the fear of failure and detach your mind from them." I gulped, and tried to do it. I closed my eyes, imagined them fading away from me and into the sky. I then extended my hand out and suddenly I was able to push the air around me to wherever I wanted it to be. Iroh smiled and praised me. "Well done, Hikaro. This confirms that you are indeed able to bend the four elements during a full moon. We will try this again tomorrow morning and see what happens."

So we tried the next morning, and just like I thought, I wasn't able to waterbend, firebend, or airbend during the day. I only was able to reverse the platinum to impure metal. So then we tried it that night, but the moon wasn't a full moon. I couldn't bend the other elements that night. Iroh couldn't figure it out, but then I remembered something important. I told him that night while sitting down inside our cabin, "Iroh, I just remembered something that my mother told me long ago when I was a child." Iroh was drinking tea and said, "Go on." I then said, "My mother told me that Saiyans have a strong connection to a full moon. She said that if a Saiyan with a tail looked at the full moon, the Saiyan would transform into a huge monster and wreak havoc mindlessly. That's why she never went out during a full moon or looked at a full moon. I'm thinking that the mixing of my Saiyan and human genetics while being a bender has caused me to somehow be able to bend the other elements during a full moon." Iroh was touching his beard and said slowly, "Yes, that does seem like a possibility. It sounds like the most reasonable explanation. Well, maybe there's a way you can trigger it even when it's not a full moon."

I then remembered something else important. "My mother also told me something else when I got a little older. She told me the legend of the the Super Saiyan transformation. That when a Saiyan reaches this transformation, they could become incredibly strong and powerful. I don't remember what she said about how to achieve this transformation, but I'm going to try to figure it out and get stronger!" Iroh took in this new information and then said with confidence, "I know that if you achieve this Super Saiyan transformation, and also learn how to unlock bending the elements at any time, you will be stronger than even the Avatar." Iroh's face then became very serious. He said with warning, "But the great evil will be incredibly strong. Stronger than anything my world has ever faced. I hope that this Super Saiyan transformation will be enough to defeat the great evil."

I tried for months to achieve the Super Saiyan transformation, and to bend the elements at times other than a full moon, but I couldn't do it. I tried meditating on it, but that didn't help much at all. Iroh was beginning to feel weak. He told me that he only had a month left with me. He's been teaching me how to bend lightning during a full moon, since that's the only time I'm able to fire bend. But one full moon, I thought of a brilliant idea. I made a new type of bending that only I could do: plasma. I infused ki with lightning and it created plasma bending. Funny enough, it felt very similar to a regular ki beam or ki blast. I'm not a scientist like my dad, but I thought a brilliant idea that only a great scientist like him could think of. We also tested out my new skills by doing sparring matches. Of course I won every time, but still, it helped me figure out how to use my moves and techniques while in battle.

I will say that at the end of my training with Iroh, I became more skilled and gained newfound strength. I still wasn't able to bend the elements freely or turn Super Saiyan. The last day of being with Iroh was so hard for me. He told me that the great evil would attack his world when it is age 779 in this world. Meaning three years from now. I cried when he faded away. The next morning the unexpected happened. I wasn't prepared for it, and no one else was.

But why didn't I see it coming?


	9. Dying Wish

Author's Note: Things are going to get crazy and from here guys. You'll see what I mean when you read the whole chapter. All I can say is poor Hikaro! (As usual, RIP) Not sure if this chapter counts as a plot twist but it still gets pretty crazy. Of course not as crazy as the finale, but yeah you get the point lol. Please enjoy the ride! ~ Dana

We were all unprepared for what happened that day. I woke up in the cabin that Iroh let me keep when he went back into the spirit world. When suddenly, I heard several huge explosions from far away. I immediately jumped out of bed and ran outside to see what it was. More huge explosions were going off at the cities, so I flew as fast as I could to the nearest city to see what exactly was happening.

When I arrived, I saw Saiyans attacking the city and fighting other Saiyans. I literally had no idea who started it all and tried to stop the fighting. I saw from above a little Saiyan girl standing in the middle of the street crying while the Saiyans around her were fighting. I flew over to her and when I landed she saw a Saiyan woman and cried out, "Mommy! Mommy!" The little girl ran over to to woman and gave her a hug. The woman looked down at the little girl with a blank face. The girl looked up at the woman and questioned with big eyes, "...mommy?"

Then my eyes widened when I saw the woman choking the little girl. It happened all too fast. In seconds the girl's neck snapped and the woman dropped her like it was nothing. I was so confused but I ran over to the woman and yelled, "Why would you kill your own daughter!?" The woman stared at me with that same expressionless face. Then I saw coming out of an alley the same woman, but this one was incredibly beaten up. She collapsed to the ground and saw the little girl. She whispered as her last dying words, "My little girl…..I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. Please forgive me."

And then it hit me. "Alterers. Alterers are attacking!" Boy, saying that out loud was a BIG mistake. Every Alterer nearby that heard what I said stopped attacking the citizens and headed for me. "Oh shit!" I flew off as fast as I could, but the ten of them all flew after me. They were catching up to me too quickly. They were so fast! One of them grabbed my left leg and were pulling me. "No! Let me GO!" I swung my arms back and fired sharp metal blades at the Alterer's hands, which then they were sliced off. The Alterer cried out in pain and got left behind. I flew even faster but they got faster too and all started firing ki blasts at me. I turned around while still flying and deflected all their ki blasts back at them. Four of the nine were a critical hit and they were left behind now.

Five were still after me, and then it got even worse. They all merged together and became one big Alterer monster thing! "Fuck! Rrrrrgh, HAAAAA!" I did a super explosive energy wave and the giant Alterer got blown all the way back to the city and crashed landed into it. I stopped and took a moment to breathe. I was panting and terrified as hell. "What the fuck! I don't understand! Why would Alterers attack the Saiyans? Did _we_ attack them first? I need to find out. But…" I looked around and more explosions were going off all over. There was no way I could stop this.

But I knew what I needed to do. "Mom! Dad! I need to make sure they're okay!" I knew that the flight home was going to take awhile, but I flew the fastest I could. It was terrifying to see all this mass destruction happening below. It was like hell. I saw the city that I first arrived at all those months ago, burning and burning. When I passed by the university I heard the screams of students at the mercy of the Alterers. Those students that I met were fighting for their lives. But I kept flying. As much as I wanted to help them, I just...didn't. I was horrified of the whole situation. Was this the great evil that Iroh warned me about? No, it couldn't be. Iroh said it was going to happen three years from now. Unless the Alterers decided to attack early. My mind was going as fast as I was flying. I couldn't figure it out, so I just kept going until I reached home.

When I finally reached home, it didn't really look like home anymore. Half of the house was destroyed. I tried searching for Mom and Dad's ki, and I locked onto my Mom's. It was under all the rubble. I used my earthbending to move all the rubble out of the way. My mom was barely alive. "Mom!" She looked at me with sad eyes. I fell on my knees and to her side. "Mom, it's going to be okay! I'll try to find dad!" She looked like she was trying to say something, but no words came out. Suddenly I heard from behind me my father's voice. "Hikaro! Thank God you're alive!" I turned around to see my dad all bruised and beaten up. "Dad! Thank Kami that you're still alive!" He was limping over to me and fell on my shoulder. I stopped him from falling and frantically said, "I'm going to get you two some help!" He then gave me a tight hug and whispered, "Hikaro, listen to me…" I answered, "What?" By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late.

I was pierced in the chest with an energy sword by him. I coughed out blood, which splattered all over his face. He then quickly pulled the energy sword out and kicked me to the ground. My hearing began to sound like I was in a box due to the loss of blood. Then I saw him look down at me as he began to chuckle. He said cruelly, "Foolish boy, I can't believe you _actually_ fell for that. That is one of the oldest tricks in the book!" I yelled while still in pain, "Who are you?!" He grinned devilishly and asked me, "You don't remember? Well then, child…." He then began to glow brightly and shapeshift before my eyes - and then I remembered.

"Ko-Komatsu!?" He laughed and finished his transformation, then said keenly, "Yes. Now, you're probably thinking, "Why would Komatsu kill my father?" It is because _you_ , boy, didn't keep your word. Do you remember our morning breakfast all those months ago? What I told you that day? For you it probably felt like years ago, but for me it felt just like yesterday considering that I'm billions of years old!" For some reason I couldn't remember. Then he walked over to me and stomped on my chest in the area he hit me with the energy sword. I cried out in pain and he was pushing harder and harder. He then said, "You better remember, boy - or else I'll _really_ start giving you some true pain." I forced myself to think back. I grunted, "You told me that you were an Alterer, and you told me not to tell anyone." He slowly nodded his head and said, "Yes...and what did you do?" He stomped on my chest so hard that my ribcage snapped in half. "AAAGH! FUUUUCK!"

He laughed maniacally and then stopped abruptly. His face turned serious as he said, "But you did tell someone, didn't you? You told that old man in the woods, the man you call Iroh." I was writhing in pain and grunted, "H-how, did you find out?" He replied haughtily, "I've been watching you ever since you left the university. I'm surprised at how much stronger you've gotten since we last spoke. But!" He picked me up by the shirt and held me in the air. "You are still no match for me. And...this "great evil" that Iroh told you about…" he brought me close to his face until our noses were almost touching, "...I know what it is. Of course I won't tell you. But be warned! This invasion is only the beginning! The Alterers have spread to every universe in this dimension. We are _everywhere._ So be careful who you trust, Hikaro. Because they may just reveal to you who they really are." I was beginning to feel faint but this crazy bastard kept on talking. Then he said something that caught my attention.

"Take your father as an example. You've probably found out by now that your father isn't a Saiyan. Of course I already tried telling you that when I first met you, but you were too stupid then to not believe me. He had lied to you your whole life! You want to know what his dying wish was?" I gritted my teeth and then he smirked. "That he could tell you the reason for keeping his identity a secret. He was born in Zaofu, and was working for Kuvira when she was first starting her plan to reunite the earth kingdom and Zaofu. But the more he got to know Kuvira, he saw the monster that truly she was. He found out about all her plans to overthrow the earth kingdom and Zaofu. He decided to make a spaceship to go find help somewhere out in the universe. But while out in space, he ended up going through a black hole like portal and crash landed here on this planet. He almost died...until a Saiyan woman found him and saved his life."

He pointed to my mom and said, "Your mother is the one that saved his life. They fell in love, got married, and had a child - you. Your father got to know the Saiyans and saw how strong they were, and was _afraid_ of them. He stayed with your mother because he knew that one, that he wouldn't be able to go back home, and two, that the Saiyans were a threat to his home world. Even if he were to find a way to go back home, the Saiyans would know of his race's existence, and they would exterminate his race. That, was what he wanted to tell you."

Komatsu threw me and I fell next to my mother. He then said, "I won't kill you or your mother, because I think it'd be so sweet if you two died with each other! Well, Hikaro - it has been fun. But it is time for me to go. Buh-bye!" He teleported away, and my mother touched my hand with her own. She whispered to me, "Hikaro…. I'm so sorry…" I turned my head and looked at her in the eyes. She continued, "Everything Komatsu said is true. I'm sorry for keeping it a secret from you. Please forgive me. I only wanted to protect you." I heard her speak but I just couldn't say anything. I had lost too much blood and could barely move. And then I remembered something.

"Waterbending. I can heal us with waterbending. But, will it work if it's not a full moon?" I used all the strength I had left to focus on waterbending the water out of the air. I reached my hand out and imagined me grasping the water. And, to my astonishment, it worked. It was a miracle for sure. I put the water over both of us. The water glowed and I could feel my body getting cool. It stinged at first, but then I felt my body regaining strength. My wounds began to heal, but my mother's wounds would not. My mother said something so quietly that I didn't hear her. And by then, I felt her ki disappear.

My mother passed away. I layed there, holding on to my mom and began to cry. I had lost both my parents in one day. I also lost my home, and everything else on this planet. My eyes were beginning to close, and I could see the Alterers leaving the planet on their spaceships. Their spaceships turned invisible when they left the atmosphere. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.


	10. Balance

Author's Note: This chapter will be about Hikaro's struggles after what happened in the previous chapter. AND TRIGGER WARNING: There will be hallucinations, delusions, and PTSD in this chapter. I'm not sure how this chapter is going to go exactly. I do have a basic idea in mind, but I'll figure it out as I go. I usually do that anyways, hehe. ~ Dana

It is very hard for me to talk about what happened after the Alterers invaded my planet. But, I will talk about it because this needs to be written down for history. And, because I have found that writing these things down helps me cope with it all.

I remember hearing a female voice say, "Wake up! Wake up! I know that he's alive, but he won't wake up." And another female voice add, "Oh look! He's waking up!" I opened my eyes very slowly, my vision going from blurry to clear. I saw two girls on their knees looking down at me. One was wearing a pinky purple crop top and purple baggy pants, the other a lot of red and gold colors and with her hair tied up in a ponytail. They both had black hair and black eyes. I'm not sure what was wrong with me, I immediately sat up and began backing away from them. "Don't touch me! DON'T TOUCH ME!" The girl in the crop top tried to calm me down and said, "Hey, hey! We're not gonna hurt you! We just wanted to make sure that you're ok." The other girl didn't say anything and looked worried. I was panting and began to sweat, but then I felt a really bad pain in my chest. "Aaaaagh! It hurts!" I was clutching my chest and the girl with the crop top spoke again, "We know that you're injured, so we just wanna take you to the hospital to get taken care of."

I snapped at her and said, "And how do I know that you're not _lying!?_ How do I know that you're not one of _them!?_ " She looked confused and said, "What? What do you mean by 'one of them'?" I could see the genuine confusion on their faces, and didn't know what to say. I started to calm down, and said quietly, "I'm sorry for snapping at you, and for freaking out. But, you don't know about the Alterers?" The girl with a ponytail said afraid, "Alterers? They sound scary!" The other girl reached her hand out to the ponytail girl and said, "It's okay, Kale. We're going to figure this out." The girl responded, "Okay, Caulifla." Caulifla then looked at me and said, "We're going to take you to the hospital first, then once you've recovered a bit you can tell us more." I quickly nodded my head and they took me to the hospital.

The hospital, or rather, hospital that was turned into a safe house, was filled with Saiyans affected by the invasion. We were at the end of the line. The line was so long that it extended out of the hospital and on the sidewalk. Caulila complained, "Are you kidding me!? Ugh, sorry man, but we're going to be here for awhile until we can get some help." I saw all the other people that were waiting in line. It was terrible, seeing Saiyans of all ages waiting in line to be treated. But then I had an idea. I said to Caulifla, "I can heal these people." She looked at me with a raised eyebrow and said, "What? You can heal people?" I raised my voice loud and clear and announced, "Excuse me, everyone! I have the ability to heal. Please get into a-waaah!"

Everyone that heard me rushed over to me and were begging me to heal them. I then said nervously, "Please, everyone! Just get in line and I'll be able to help all of you..." People were shouting at me, saying things like, "My wound is bad! Take me!" And a mother with her child said, "My baby is dying! She needs help right now! Think about the children!" An old man said bitterly to the mother, "I need help first! I want to make it out of this alive! I'm an old man!" Everyone began arguing with each other, until Caulifla lost it and yelled, "HEY! You all should be thankful that he even offered! So why don't you all get line, wait your turn, and SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Her energy was so strong it pushed everyone off balance, including me. Everyone stopped arguing and reluctantly got into a line. Kale was biting her nails the entire time, not saying a word - she wasn't handling all this stress well.

I sighed and began to heal people with my waterbending. And then it clicked. _I was waterbending_. In the afternoon, _not_ during a full moon. I was healing everyone very quickly and my healing was faster than the care given by the safehouse. In only a few hours, everyone at the safehouse was healed. Some people said thank you. Others didn't. But, everyone in the area was healed. When the three of us finally had some time alone, Caulifla asked me, "How were you able to do that? You were like, _bending_ water or something! Do you have magical powers?" I smiled faintly and said, "You're right, I was bending the water. But it wasn't magic. A wise teacher of mine taught me how to do it." Kale finally said something and stuttered, "U-um, I thought that - that your waterbending was really cool." I looked at her, smiled and said, "Thanks. I-agh!" I clutched my chest, and then Caulifla said, "Oh man. This whole time you were healing people, we forgot about healing you! Let's take you into the safehouse. They have healing pods in there." "Healing pods?" She said, "Uh, yeah! Are you saying you don't know what a healing pod is? Man, you sure are a weird one. Come on! Let's get you inside."

I was put inside a healing pod for the first time in my life. I have to say, it was a very uncomfortable experience at first. They attached these wires with sticky ends to me all over my body. The pod was filled with some sort of clear fluid, and then I suddenly became sleepy and relaxed. I closed my eyes and felt the tension in my body going away. I could hear Caulifla and Kale talking but couldn't make out their words. I eventually gave in to the pod's fluids and fell asleep.

When I woke up, the fluids in the pod began to wash down the drain. A nurse took the wires off of me and I walked out of the pod. Caulifla and Kale weren't there. I asked the nurse if she's seen them, and she said no. Did they leave me? When I began walking, I immediately noticed how strong I felt. I put my hand on my chest and could feel that my rib cage was completely healed. Everything was healed. I wandered around the safehouse for awhile, trying to find them, but then I found them when I entered a huge room. There were many people eating and a lot waiting in line for their portion of food. I saw them getting food and Caulifla yelling at a worker serving the food. I heard her say, "How many times do I have to tell you!? This other plate is for my friend who's in one of the healing pods right now! I am NOT trying to get extra food!" The man snapped at her and said. "Then go bring me this "friend" of you-" "Here." The man was caught off guard when I teleported next to Caulifla. She put her hands on her hips and smiled smugly. The worker grunted and gave me my food.

We sat down at a table. Caulifla was eating like your typical Saiyan girl. Kale was eating at a moderate pace, but I just didn't feel like eating. I stared down at my plate and felt a deep sadness come over me. Suddenly I heard someone whisper in my right ear, *They're here!* I gasped and immediately turned around in my chair, but no one was there. Caulifla swallowed the food she had in her mouth and said with concern, "Woah, you okay? Why'd you turn around like that?" I looked back at her and slowly said, "I thought I had heard someone." She sipped her drink then replied, "Well, there are a lot of people talking here in this room, so go figure!" I then responded, "No, I mean that I thought I heard someone whisper in my ear. But…..." She raised a quizzical eyebrow and then turned to Kale. "Kale, what do you think about this?" Kale looked at me and then Caulifla and murmured, "I think he's hearing things. Because I didn't see anyone whisper anything to him."

My eyes widened when I then saw an Alterer behind both Kale and Caulifla. The Alterer was going to slice their heads off with his sword like hand. "DON'T TOUCH THEM! HAAA!" I fired a ki blast at the Alterer, but as soon as the ki blast was going to hit, the Alterer changed shape so that the ki blast would go through. The ki blast ended up hitting a wall and making a hole. Then the Alterer flew out the nearest open window. I was about to fly after the Alterer when Caulifla held me down and yelled, "Where do you think you're going!? What the hell is wrong with you!?" I pleaded, "No, let me go! I need to go after the Alterer!" Kale looked very frightened and said, "I think he's seeing things too. Because no one was there." I felt confused, and then realized that everyone was looking. Caulifla said seriously, "We need to talk. _Now_."

We were inside a lounge room sitting on couches in the safe house with just the three of us in the room. Caulifla had her arms crossed and she said, "Ok, so you've been acting strange ever since we first met you. And, you keep on mentioning these 'Alterers'. Can you tell us what's going on? We don't even know who you are, so telling us your name would help." Kale was biting her nails and looked nervous. I wanted to tell them everything. So I started with the basics. "My name is Hikaro Ruko, and I'm half-human, half-Saiyan. I was born on this planet and grew up here. Yesterday morning, the planet was invaded by Alterers. You guys didn't know this? And another thing, you guys don't look beaten up or anything. Did Alterers not attack you two?" Caulifla and Kale exchanged glances and then Caulifla answered, "Well, we were not here on the planet yesterday. We both were traveling around the universe just having a good time, and then we come home today and see the aftermath of the destruction. But we didn't hear anything about an invasion, we saw on TV that there was some new virus that caused Saiyans to go mad and attack each other. It started with one Saiyan and spread like wildfire."

I was completely perplexed and said with shock, "Wait, what?! A new virus? That's a complete lie!" Kale said quietly, "It's probably showing on TV right now. That's all they are showing...I think." Caulifla sighed and turned on the TV. And to my shock, it was true. The news channel showed footage of Saiyans attacking each other yesterday, but I knew that some of those 'Saiyans' were really Alterers. They looked exactly like Saiyans, but I could see it in their eyes. And then I remembered the Alterer ships that I saw leave yesterday. I spoke up and told them, "But yesterday, I saw huge Alterer spaceships leaving the planet! Did anyone else not see that!?" Caulifla answered, "I don't think anyone did because if someone saw, it would definitely be on the news. And what exactly are Alterers?"

I explained to them, "Alterers are an alien race that can shapeshift and steal the ability of any other race, and I _know_ that they invaded the planet yesterday. I saw a little Saiyan girl lost in the middle of a street while Saiyans were fighting the Alterers - but they didn't know that they were fighting Alterers. I didn't even know, until I saw the little girl hug a Saiyan woman and call her mommy, and the woman killed her. Then I saw the real mother come out of an alley and died from being beaten up by the Alterer that was pretending to the the mom." Caulifla asked, "And then what happened?"

I stood up and continued, "I exclaimed out loud that Alterers were attacking, and then Alterers all came after me. I flew off and they started attacking me, so I fought them while flying. I eventually beat them and then realized that there was no way I could stop the mass destruction. So I flew all the way to my parents house and found my mother dying. Then I hear my dad's voice and see him, or so I thought it was him. It was actually an Alterer that I met before disguised as my dad. He attacked me in the chest with an energy sword and told me why the Alterers were attacking."

I looked down at the floor and said with a heavy heart, "It was my fault. You see, I first met this Alterer named Komatsu months ago, and he told me that he was an Alterer. But he also told me not to tell anyone. Things happened, and I end up telling this old man named Iroh in the woods about Komatsu. Komatsu was watching me the whole time. Iroh became my teacher and when he left this world, that's when the Alterers invaded. I get the feeling that Komatsu wanted his race to invade _after_ Iroh left, so that he could kill my parents and kill me without Iroh interfering."

Caulifla looked at Kale and Kale looked at me. Kale spoke up and asked me, "If Komatsu tried to kill you, how are you still alive? Caulifla and I found you badly wounded." Caulifla added, "Yeah, before we found you, we had arrived on the planet a few hours earlier. We decided to help out by bringing people to the hospital so they could get help. But you're the first person we helped that mentioned Alterers." I answered them with sadness in my voice, "I used my waterbending to heal myself….I also tried to heal my dying mother, but it was too late. I couldn't save her. And Komatsu killed my father too. So, all I have is Iroh, but he's back in his dimension. I have nothing else left on this planet…."

Tears began flowing down my face and I felt broken. Caulifla walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. She expressed her condolences, "That's really rough, Hikaro. I'm sorry you lost your parents. But hey, you've got us now! We're here for you!" I looked at her in the eyes and uttered, "Y-you are?" Caulifla said cheerfully, "Yeah! Right, Kale?" Kale nodded her head and spoke louder than her usual quiet self, "Yeah. We're here for you." I felt a sense of family from them and smiled. "Thank you."

For the next year, Caulifla, Kale and I helped out with rebuilding the cities and bringing together lost families. We finally were able to make a home for ourselves, where the three of us lived together. By then, I had already explained to them about the great evil that Iroh told me about. They agreed to help me defeat this great evil when the time would come. After that year, we began training. We had to be on the alert in case there was another attack from Alterers, or any other threat. I knew that the whole virus thing was a cover up, set up by the Alterers who sneaked their way into power in the government. I still had my fears, and hallucinations, but they were lessened over time thanks to talking about it with Kale and Caulifla. On the days they couldn't handle my illness, I decided to release my feelings by training or writing them down.

This illness I had made it very difficult to distinguish hallucination from reality. There were some nights that I couldn't sleep at all, and suffered greatly from it. The mornings after not getting any sleep were always the worst, because both my body and mind was off balance. And then when I was able to get sleep, I would have nightmares of Komatsu killing me, Kale or Caulifla. Or all three of us. It was a time of great suffering and Kale and Caulifla were all I had to help me feel not alone. I believe that I needed some other kind of help, but this type of illness was not really addressed on the planet without stigmatizing it as people being crazy. I felt alone in that aspect. I believe that medication would have helped, but medication for this did not exist here. This caused my recovery to be very slow, and painful.

Another year past, and we had one more year until it was time to travel to Iroh's dimension to stop the great evil. I was working with a team of engineers and scientists to create a ship that could take us there to his world. The ship was created in 9 months and was ready for use. We had three months left until it was time to leave. I decided to take these three months to rest, _really_ rest. I wasn't sure how to feel about everything. But, the time was coming, and I rested as much as I could before the year was over. Kale and Caulifla on the other hand, continued to train until the very end. I guess we all have our own ways of preparing for challenges.

Even if this challenge costed everything.

Author's Note: As I was writing this chapter, I decided not to dive too much into the PTSD as much as I thought I would. The next chapter will reveal the great evil that Iroh has been telling Hikaro about. Also, I originally was going to have Hikaro alone during his time of dealing with PTSD. But, I changed my mind and decided that he should have some support systems, which I chose to be Caulifla and Kale. I don't know much about them, so I just went along with it! I hope I didn't butcher their personalities. I also didn't want to go in depth about the training the three of them did. I figured you guys have seen enough of training with Iroh and want to pace the story at a balanced rate. After this chapter is uploaded on Instagram, I'm going to be taking a break from creating new chapters and start uploading them to FanFiction and YouTube. Once all the finished chapters are uploaded to those sites, I'll continue writing the story. Thank you for reading and hope to see you in the next chapter! ~ Dana


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